Conflicting
by AnimationNut
Summary: Spoilers for Not What He Seems. Dipper is conflicted in his emotions following the portal incident. He isn't sure who to trust anymore. Was Grunkle Stan right in his actions? Was Mabel correct with the decision she made? Or do the author's words ring true-trust no one?


**I do not own Gravity Falls.**

**So, seriously, I don't know if I can hold out until the summer for a new episode. It's going to be torture. **

**Conflicting**

It was raining.

A steady drizzle of raindrops fell from the grey sky, transforming the normally lively town of Gravity Falls into a dull, dreary and damp environment. But for once, Dipper did not mind. The weather suited his mood perfectly-it was just as depressing as he currently felt.

Trudging through the mud, Dipper paid no mind to the cold drops falling onto his bare arms and legs. Eyes blank, he walked without seeing, moving further and further away from the place he once called home.

The Mystery Shack lay far in the distance, and when Dipper decided he was far enough away he dropped to the drenched ground, pulling his knees up to his chest.

_Trust no one._

It was advice that the author had written in the third journal-Stan's brother, and his and Mabel's grandfather.

_Grandfather._

Dipper screwed his eyes shut. Stanley had been lost in an alternate dimension for thirty years, and only Stan knew of his fate. His parents had been fed an elaborate story, one built by Stan in the heat of the moment, when he was feeling lost and confused and terrified.

Stan Pines had perished in a car crash.

But it was not Stanford Pines, like he had assumed when Mabel first handed him the newspaper clipping. No, the headline had been referring to Stanley Pines.

Grudgingly, Dipper could admit that he supposed that, while his great-uncle could probably have come up with a less drastic excuse for the disappearance of his brother, faking Stanley's death wasn't entirely…unreasonable. Very few people knew of the paranormal and supernatural occurrences of Gravity Falls. How do you explain that your own brother got sucked up into a portal to another dimension? Who would believe it?

But this wasn't enough to dispel the feelings of betrayal, hurt, confusion and doubt currently consuming him.

Fine, so Stan needed to lie in order to cover up what happened to his brother. But that wasn't the first lie he told. Stan had been lying all summer so that he could cover up his dangerous project. He'd been lying to him and to Mabel.

_Mabel._

Tears sprang to his eyes as he recalled Mabel's decision to trust Stan over him, her own brother. It didn't matter that the universe wasn't destroyed by the machine. There was just a good a chance of the portal collapsing than successfully operating.

Dipper had always known that, no matter what happened, he could always have faith in his sister, that she would have his back.

But now…now he didn't know anything anymore.

_Trust no one._

He couldn't even trust Stanley, the one who _wrote _the words that were currently echoing through his head. Apparently, the box of fake passports and did not belong to Stan-they belonged to his brother.

They were _both _con men.

_Now what?_

Dipper rested his chin against his knees, allowing the tears to fall free and mix with the raindrops falling down his pale cheeks. He had left the third journal in the living room, not caring if Stanley took it back. What was the point in keeping it? The author had returned, and it belonged to him. His joy and excitement for solving mysteries had all but disappeared, and he hated it.

He hated feeling so down, so isolated from his family. He hated the feeling of distrust he held in his sister, the doubt he held in his great-uncle, and the suspicion he held in Stanley, his own grandfather.

The three members of the Pines family were currently in the Mystery Shack, probably sleeping. It was about four in the morning, and for the past three days Dipper had escaped as much as he could. He hadn't spoken a word to anyone since the portal finished its activation.

Everything was awkward. No one really knew what to say, and so no one really spoke. There were still questions to be answered, but Dipper didn't feel like asking them.

He didn't feel like doing anything anymore.

"Dipper?"

Heart jolting, he slowly looked up to see his sister crouched in front of him with a look of concern. She was in her purple nightgown, which was quickly soaking.

"What are you doing out here?"

"Leave me alone," he muttered, his voice cracking slightly from disuse.

Mabel bit her lip, tears springing to her eyes. "Dipper, please. I'm sorry, but you told me to listen to my head. And I did."

"You listened to your heart, more like it," snapped Dipper. "What if the portal exploded?"

"But that's just it. You always ask the 'what ifs?'" Mabel settled down beside her brother, relieved that he was speaking to her again. "Why can't you accept things as they are instead of dwelling on what could have happened?"

Dipper pursued his lips, not having an answer. "I trusted you."

"So you don't trust me anymore?" asked Mabel, fearing the answer.

Dipper stared at the ground. "I…I…I don't know. I don't know anything anymore." He looked back up and stared intently at his sister. "But you don't seem as conflicted as I am. Why? Why did you make the decision to trust Stan over me?"

"I didn't trust him _over _you," corrected Mabel. "I did what I thought was right. I looked into his eyes, and I saw emotions that he hardly ever expresses. I saw desperation and fear. He was begging us not to touch the button. For all the lies he told, I knew one thing was true. He loves us, and he wouldn't hurt us."

Memories of goofing around, taking fishing trips, going to the movies and every other activity they did with their great-uncle swarmed Dipper's mind. And with every recollection, he could not find a false sentiment from Stan when it came to them.

_Everything I've worked for, everything I care about, it's all for this family._

"But why wouldn't he tell us?" he asked in frustration.

Mabel shrugged helplessly. "That's something we're going to have to ask. There's still a story to be told, but I think Grunkle Stan and Grandpa have been waiting until you've come around, I guess."

_Grunkle. Grandpa._

Even after everything, Mabel's trust in their relatives was strong and firm, even though there were still many things they didn't know. She had always been trusting, in contrast to him, who did not hand out his trust so easily.

_Maybe that's the problem._

For every hiccup that occurred within a relationship he held with someone, he was quick to become uncertain, suspicious and distrusting. But not Mabel. She was always willing to give people chances, so long as she believed their intentions were pure hearted.

Dipper closed his eyes and thought hard. Though he still felt uncertain of the motives his relatives had, did he distrust them so completely that he was willing to sever all ties?

_No._

If he was, he would have been long gone by now. But he stuck around, sorting his emotions, trying to figure out who to trust and what to do. But the answer was within him, he could feel it in his soul.

He still loved his sister, his great-uncle, and he felt the desire to get to know the grandfather they never had before.

"I get where he's coming from," spoke up Mabel, causing him to look her. She had a small smile on her face. "I would do anything in this world to bring you back, too."

His final pieces of resolve shattering, Dipper wrapped his sister into a tight embrace. "I'm sorry, Mabel. I'm so sorry," he whispered.

Mabel squeezed him back, tears of relief dripping down her cheeks. "It's okay. It's okay."

After a long moment of holding each other just like that, Mabel stood up and helped her brother to his feet. "We better get back inside," she said, guiding him back to the Mystery Shack. "We're going to catch a cold if we stay out any longer."

The twins made their way back to the old, rustic shack. They shuffled down the hallway, water dripping down their bodies and creating puddles on the hardwood floor. A blue glow caught Dipper's attention, and he stared in the direction of the living room, where he could hear the soft sounds of the television.

Mabel set a hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to talk to them yet, if you don't want too."

"It's okay," he said softly. Taking a deep breath, he ventured towards the living room and paused uncertainly in the doorframe.

Stan was sitting in his favourite armchair, a vacant expression on his face. Stanley sat in a wooden rocking chair that he had dragged from his old room. Stanley noticed the boy first and he gave his brother a sharp nudge in the side.

"Wha?" grunted Stan, jolting back to reality. He zeroed in on his sopping wet nephew. "Dipper?"

"Hi," he greeted, rubbing his arm.

"Where have you been?" asked Stan, wanting to approach his estranged-as-of-late nephew, but uncertain of Dipper's current state of mind.

"Outside," he replied. "Doing some thinking."

"Oh," was all Stan could think to say.

Stanley rolled his eyes. "What he means to say is, thinking about what?"

"Everything that happened. I…I'm still really not sure of the whole story, and I'm not happy about the lies-"

"You can blame me for that one," cut in Stanley. "I shouldn't have been messing with the portal to begin with. It's my fault I ended up where I did, and Stanford's been lying and making excuses ever since to bring me back."

"Shut up, it is my fault," said Stan, looking at his nephew seriously. "You knew of the weird stuff going on this town since your first day here. And I knew you knew. I didn't know how involved you were in this town's mysteries, and once I did I didn't want to drag you in further."

"I get that now. But a secret this big, one that affects our family, I'd like to know about it instead of being blindsided." Dipper looked at his grandfather. "My initial reaction to you wasn't entirely warm. Instead of being happy with the fact I have a grandfather, I pretty much stormed out in a rage. I want to know what happened to you, and…and I hope we can get to know each other."

Stanley smiled slightly. "I think you handled the bombshell relatively well, considering everything. And I'd be happy to get to know you. I always wanted grandkids. A nice surprise to return home too."

Dipper then turned to his great-uncle with a remorseful expression. "Despite being lied to, I am sorry for how I've been acting. I should have understood, like Mabel did, that no matter what you wouldn't do anything that would hurt us. The care, the affection, the love, none of it was an act from you, and it took me three days to realize it."

Stan stared at him and Dipper darted his eyes about anxiously. "Uh…yeah, that's about all I had to say. I guess-"

"Shut up and get over here."

Not needing to be told twice, Dipper crossed the living room and into Stan's waiting arms. The boy buried his head in his great-uncle's shoulder, feeling the last of the tension leave his body.

"_Hug time!" _whooped Mabel, rushing into the room and flinging herself at Stanley.

"Oof!" he grunted, catching the bundle of energy. "Wait, why are you wet?"

"I went Dipper hunting. And I found one!" Mabel settled down in her grandfather's lap and smiled brightly at her brother. "All good, bro?"

Dipper peeked at her, still in the tight embrace of Stan. He smiled softly. "Yeah. All good."

In a town like Gravity Falls, where secrets and mysteries were rampant, it was indeed difficult to tell who to trust. But while listening to his head certainly helped him on many occasions, he could take a page from Mabel's book and start listening to his heart.

For no matter the craziness, so long as his family loved him, he knew he could count on them.

_Trust no one, except for the ones you love, and who love you._


End file.
